Always striving to be transparent and sincere as I learn what the Love of God truly means. "But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect" (1 Peter 3:15)

Thursday, July 21, 2011

What we do with what we have

I like to talk. Sometimes I have people around that like to hear what I have to say. I used to post "blogs" on myspace regularly when my first daughter was weeks and months old. By the time my second daughter came around, my computer time was significantly cut down. I just gave birth to our third daughter and though I've enjoyed posting "notes" on facebook, I thought I'd try to gather my thoughts in one place now.

In a time when we spend more "face time" on the computer than we do face-to-face, is it any wonder that we want people to listen to what we have to say? The spoken word is not as common as the texted abbreviation and yet we are an advanced society. My daughters crave my love, time and attention. Too often I selfishly want love, time and attention from others without first giving of myself. How much time do I waste posting photos and then checking to see if there are comments? Scrolling down the "news feed" to see status updates that mean little to me when I'm not personally involved. "Your friend is now friends with five people you'll never know and here are their names and photographs." "Your friend is now addicted to another online game." "Your friend just added another application in order to receive a free gift and wants you to join so they can receive the free gift."

Each day we are given is a gift. We have life, we may have health, shelter, food, and family. For these things we should be so thankful. Many have nothing and are thankful for much less. How comfortable we become and how quickly dissatisfied when we do not receive instant gratification. To get away from all the distractions, I find it helpful to turn to my Bible. Right now Romans chapter twelve is holding a lot of fulfillment for me.
In Romans 12:12, Paul charges "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer."
It is easy to be joyful in hope, but patient in affliction? The daily tasks of motherhood combined with my young children (ages almost 4, 2, and 1 week) cause me to be less than patient frequently. I have some way to go here. And faithful in prayer-though I pray often, there are in my opinion several different kinds of prayer. Small prayers at mealtimes, thank you prayers in situations that turn out for the good, and deep time spent with God, to name a few. My deep times need some deepening. If I can only be intentional about seeking God, He finds me where I am. If it's a small break while driving, a couple minutes peace while getting ready in the bathroom, it is more of an attitude and less of a clocked appointment.

He delights in us as we delight in Him. How appropriate that my last child, whose delivery was a blessing and a complete switch from the first two, has the name "Naomi" which means "Delight, sweet, pleasant." She is a reminder to me daily that God is with me.

Today and always, I hope to be more joyful, strive to be more patient, and pray to be more faithful. Will you join me?